Editorial: Keep vaccinations up to date to prevent whooping cough

The only thing worse than losing your baby to a dread disease might be knowing that your action or inaction may have contributed to the little one’s death.

It happened last May to Veronica McNally, of Franklin, when her three-month-old Francesca developed a cough. McNally took the infant to an emergency room and said she was given an incorrect diagnosis. She took Francesca home.

The child died from whooping cough, considered a largely preventable disease.

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Francesca hadn’t received the standard TDaP vaccination at two months. The “P” stands for pertussis, the medical name for whooping cough. McNally and a 3-year-old son also developed the cough, but without complications.

McNally’s response to the tragedy was admirable.

Within weeks after her daughter’s death, the family had created an organization, the Franny Strong Foundation, to spread the word about the risks of whooping cough and failure to vaccinate for it.

The disease was on the rise in recent years. While the incidence in Michigan is higher than in the past, it’s declined. According to a published report, just under 300 cases were reported in 2007. It shot up to more than 1,500 in 2010, slid to 691 the following year and in the first nine months of this year stood at 597. In 2010, another Michigan resident died from the disease.

McNally said she wanted to “Help others protect their infants and spare them from having to endure the tragedy that we’ve had to endure.”

She appeared at a news conference with medical experts and health officials. All emphasized that the vaccines are safe.

And not just for the children. Whooping cough is often spread by adults, whose symptoms may not be severe enough to identify. A booster of the TDaP combined tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough vaccine is recommended for all persons at 10-year intervals.

The vaccination schedule for infants and small children is difficult, maybe more so for the parents than the children. But they’re effective. Parents don’t have to learn the hard way.

They can listen to Veronica McNally, grieve with her, admire her and keep the kids’ vaccinations up to date.